This invention is concerned with a take-out mechanism for a glass container forming machine, e.g. a glass container forming machine of the individual section type.
Conventional take-out mechanisms remove finished containers from the machine by gripping them around a neck portion thereof by tongs which are mounted on an end of an arm which can move arcuately about a horizontal axis. The arm moves arcuately to bring the containers over a dead plate on which the containers are deposited by opening the tongs. The containers stand on the dead plate and are then swept on to a moving conveyor by a push-out which moves arcuately about a vertical axis. The conveyor, conventionally, collects containers from a plurality of section (or machines) and accordingly has to operate rapidly. Thus, in a high-speed machine, each container is moved rapidly by the take-out, the push-out and the conveyor. The container is thus subject to contact with several items including the dead plate and is subjected to considerable mechanical and thermal stress which causes defects leading to reduced strength and higher reject rates.
Previous proposals for a take-out which reduces the number of items which contact the containers are described in GB Patent Specification Nos. 1598539 and 2162484. However, these proposals involve mounting two gripping means on a carriage which moves perpendicularly to the centre-line of the machine to bring the gripping means alternately to the centre-line of the machine. Once on the centre-line of the machine, a gripping means is moved horizontally and vertically to grip and remove containers from the machine. Thus, the carriage obstructs access to the machine and, as both gripping means are mounted on the carriage, they do not operate independently and cannot be separated to allow access between them.
It is an object of this invention to provide a take-out mechanism in which the amount of contacts with the container and the speed at which the container is moved are reduced without reducing unacceptably as have earlier proposals operator access to the machine.